"It represents an era where there was renewed optimism in the western world; where many immigrants and Holocaust survivors set out to make new lives for themselves after the horrors of the Second World War," explains Cindy Kaizer, therapist and recreation specialist at Baycrest's Arts, Culture and Innovation department.

"Also, the music of the 1950s has happy connotations for many residents and clients of Baycrest. Studies are showing that listening to music can bring back positive memories and feelings, which is therapeutic to many in attendance."

According to the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, as of 2015, there were approximately 10,000 Holocaust survivors in Canada, though their advanced age means that number has decreased since then. Baycrest is home to one of the largest groups of that population in North America, and that makes them particularly attuned to their unique needs.

"When these people were at the age of prom, they were actually slaves," Nechas Jakubowicz, daughter of resident Adela Grinbaum, who was in Auschwitz, told the Toronto Star.